Cigarette setting device

ABSTRACT

The device for setting cigarettes in a same direction in the case of cigarettes manufactured by disposing a double-length filter-plug between two aligned cigarettes and cutting said plug intermediate its ends comprises a rotary drum formed with peripheral segment-like inserts and slots, adapted to receive the cut cigarettes and means for turning over the cigarettes of one row and introducing them in between those of the other, nonturned row. Gravity and centrifugal force are utilized for turning over the cigarettes.

I Umted States Patent [191 3,887,065

Verjux June 3, 1975 4] CIGARETTE SETTING DEVICE 3.000,488 9/196] Rowlands l98/280 l [75] Inventor: Jean Verjux, Pavillons Sous Bois, 3643'783 Sterling 98/280 France Primary Examiner-James B. Marbert A$$1gnee= Usines Decoufle, Pans. France Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Amster & Rothstein [22] Filed: Dec. 3, 1973 2] Appl. No.: 421,271 1 ABSTRACT The device for setting cigarettes in a same direction in [30] Foreign Application Priority Dam the case of cigarettes manufactured by disposing a D 27 I972 F 72 46423 doublelength filter-plug between two aligned clgafame rettes and cutting said plug intermediate its ends comprises a rotary drum formed with peripheral segment- [21 ((jlll. like inserts and Slots adapted to receive the cut g d g g 45 rettes and means for turning over the cigarettes of one 1 1e 0 row and introducing them in between those of the other, non-turned row. Gravity and centrifugal force [56] References Cited are utilized for turning over the cigarettes.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,857,039 10/1958 Whitecar 198/280 3 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures II I; a! ll 4 5 a \E a i I 3 A e f 1 J :2 j" n n it as PATEUTFM! 3 1915 S'rZEET Fig.9.

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1 CIGARETTE SETTING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to devices for reversing the direction of travel of cigarettes and notably filtertip cigarettes in cigarette-making machines.

As a rule, filter-tip cigarettes are manufactured by disposing a double-length filter plug between two cigarettes, this assembly bein'g' aligned for instance in the cavity of a drum; these three elements are assembled by means of a paper strip called cuff, which is rolled and glued around the filter tip and the ends of the two opposite cigarettes, whereafter the assembly is cut across the middle of the tip. Thus, two rows of cigarettes having opposite directions are obtained and it is generally necessary to turn the cigarettes of one row and then realign them with the cigarettes of the other row, in order to obtain a single row of cigarettes having all the same direction.

It is the essential object of the present invention to solve this problem by providing a device capable of forming a single series or row of cigarettes having a same direction from two series or rows of cigarettes disposed by pairs in opposite directions.

Among the various prior art devices proposed heretofore for solving this problem, a known arrangement comprises a drum formed with cavities on its outer surface and associated with means for guiding and straightening the cigarettes to a vertical position, at right angles to the outer surface of the drum, from which the cigarettes topple over and complete their 180 rotation.

However, the operating speeds of modern cigarettemaking machines has increased considerably, thus increasing the centrifugal force which tends to throw the cigarettes out from the drum and counteracting the final tumbling down of the cigarettes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To avoid this inconvenience, it is the essential object of the present invention to provide a device for toppling over cigarettes end to end (or head over heels) by pivoting them about one of their ends, this device comprising essentially a rotary drum formed with regularly spaced radial cavities having a width slightly greater than the diameter of the cigarettes to be received therein, means for laying the cigarettes into said cavities in mutual alignment and successively, parallel to one another, a fixed guide ramp adapted to lift one end of each cigarette moving past said ramp in said drum cavities so as to pivot the cigarette about its opposite end held against translation in the respective cavity, until the cigarette thus lifted falls back into the same cavity after having been turned head over heel, and means for removing the thus turned cigarettes from their cavities and discharging them, this device being characterized in that said fixed guide ramp is located at the lower portion of the drum so as to cause the cigarettes to be turned over by applying a centripetal force thereto against the centrifugal force developed by the drum rotation, said cavities having a radial depth sufficient to permit this turning movement and fixed circular guide members for holding the cigarettes at the desired level in said cavities before, during and after the head over heel turning thereof.

In the device according to this invention, in contrast to hitherto known devices of this character, the centrifugal force is utilized for maintaining the cigarettes in position and facilitating the toppling over thereof. In fact, the cigarettes are turned over not outwards with respect to the drum but inside the drum which may be constructed in the form of a hollow cylindrical conveyor. Thus, the cigarettes are moved to their upstanding position not outwards but inwards of the conveyor.

According to a typical embodiment of this invenion, the device comprises a cylindrical conveyor driven for continuous rotation about a horizontal axis and formed with peripheral cavities adapted to receive two adjacent rows of cigarettes disposed in opposition, the cigarettes of one row being off-set by a half-pitch with respect to those of the other row. The cigarettes of one row are turned along the lower half of the conveyor. One end of each cigarette is retained by circular ramps constituting, so to say, the fulcrum of this pivotal movement, and the other end is raised towards the axis of rotation of the conveyor by a guide ramp. Both gravity and centrifugal force urge the cigarettes against the ramps. Each cigarette attains a vertical position when it is coincident with the lower vertical radius of the vertical diameter of the conveyor; then, it topples over under the combined action of gravity and centrifugal force, thus completing its rotation. Thus, the turned cigarettes position themselves inbetween those of the other row to constitute a single row of cigarettes having all the same direction, that is, with all the filter tips disposed on the same side in the row.

Other features and advantages of this invention will appear as the following description proceeds with reference to the attached drawings illustrating diagrammatically by way of example a typical form of embodiment of this invention. In the drawings:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front elevational view of the device according to this invention, as seen from the side of the cigarettes to be turned head over heel;

FIG. 2 is a plan view from above of the device of FIG. 1 in which the cigarettes are not shown in the upper and lower central portions of the conveyor;

FIGS. 3 to 8 inclusive are fragmentary sectional views showing on a larger scale the successive steps of a cigarette turning operation, the sections being taken along the lines III-III to VIII-VIII of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are views showing on the same scale the upper portion of the conveyor after receiving the two rows of cigarettes off-set by one pitch and after turning the cigarettes of the second row between those of the first row; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 show in side elevational view and plan view, respectively, a component element of the conveyor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The assemblies comprising each a double-length filter-tip between two cigarettes of each pair, assembled by means of a so-called cuff consisting of a strip of paper glued thereon, are disposed in any suitable manner, one by one, into the successive grooves or cavities 2 of a drum 1 associated with a rotary circular blade or cutter 3 adapted to separate the two cigarettes of each pair by cutting said double-length filter-tip intermediate its ends.

Then the cigarettes are transferred from said drum 1 to the off-setting assembly comprising a pair of drums 4 and 5 also formed with cigarette-retaining cavities or grooves. These drums have the same diameter and the same number of grooves, but rotate about slightly offset shafts denoted 6 and 7. Thus, the cigarettes of the two rows, conveyed by drum 1, are transferred from this drum 1 to the paired, off-set drums 4, 5 at a point A, but it is clear that the cigarettes carried by drum 4 are transferred to the main conveyor drum 1 1 at B, and that those carried by drum 5 are transferred to B in order to provide the above-mentioned half-pitch difference between the two rows of cigarettes.

The conveyor 11, as already explained in the foregoing, is designed for turning over or head over heel the cigarettes of one row and subsequently re-aligning two rows of cigarettes; to this end, this conveyor comprises a central hub 12 having secured thereto a number of identical inserts or segment-like elements 13 providing therebetween radial channels 14 of a width slightly greater than the cigarette diameter. These radial elements 13 comprise on their outer or peripheral face a semi-circular cavity 15 extending on one-half of the axial dimension of the insert (see FIGS. 2, 11 and 12).

During their transfer by the drums 4 and 5, the cigarettes R to be left in their initial position (that is, with their filter-tips adjacent the drum 11, in this example), are laid into the cavities l5, and the other cigarettes R of the adjacent row, which are to be turned over, are laid into the channels 14.

The cigarettes R to be turned over are conveyed from the initial point B, to point C in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3. Thus each cigarette R, engaging with slightly more than one-half of its length the gap formed between a pair of adjacent insert or elements 13 is allowed to slide on fixed circular ramps 16 and 17, and retained externally by fixed curved guide members 18 and 19.

Beyond said point C, the cigarette turning movement begins; thus, the filter-tip end of the cigarette R to be turned over bears on the side face of guide member 20 providing the fulcrum of this pivotal movement while a ramp 22 lifts the cigarette by reacting against a point adjacent the opposite end of the cigarette; finally, a curved ramp 21 of adequate contour supports the cigarette in the vicinity of the filter-tip end thereof (FIG. 4). The shape of ramp 22 is such that during the rotation of conveyor 11 from C to D the cigarette assumes a vertical position at D (FIG. 5). During this straightening movement of the cigarette the latter is constantly retained along more than one-half of its length between the sides of two adjacent segments 13, and during this same phase the cigarette is urged by both gravity and centrifugal force against the guide members 20, 21 and 22.

The ramp 22 extends beyond this point D so that the cigarette is caused to turn beyond its vertical position, whereafter both gravity and centrifugal force (FIG. 6) assist in pivoting the cigarette to a horizontal position, and thus the cigarette is eventually laid upon the curved ramp 23 at R and on the curved bottom plate 24 while remaining engaged between two adjacent segments 13 over slightly more than half its diameter.

The cigarette turning movement is completed at E (FIG. 7) i.e. about 35 beyond point D. This cigarette is not only turned over but also brought into alignment with the other cigarettes of the non-turned cigarette row R.

Shortly beyond this point E, the circular ramps 25 and 26 keep the cigarette retained between two adjacent segments 13 to prevent this cigarette from escaping inwards of the conveyor (FIG. 8).

The single row of cigarettes having the same orientation is transferred in any suitable manner to a conveyor member 27 consisting, for example, of an endless belt conveyor, for undergoing a further treatment.

To facilitate the understanding of the mode of operation of this device, the cigarettes to be turned over (i.e. those of the bottom row as seen in the Figure) are shown in thick lines before, during and after the turning operation, and the cigarettes of the other row, which are not to be turned over, are shown in dash lines; moreover, in FIGS. 3 to 8, only the cigarettes of the row of cigarettes to be turned over are shown; FIG. 9 shows the two rows of cigarettes before any turning movement of the cigarettes belonging to the row to be turned over has occurred, and FIG. 10 shows the two rows after the turning movement of the cigarettes of the row of cigarettes to be turned over in the preceding Figure and their replacement with new cigarettes to be turned over.

Although the present invention has been described with specific reference to a typical embodiment thereof, it will readily occur to those conversant with the art that various modifications and changes may be brought to this embodiment without departing from the basic principles of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Device for turning over cigarettes when they are parallely spaced and proceeding in a continuous row comprising rotary supply means for the cigarettes;

a rotating circular drum in close association with said rotary supply means to receive the cigarettes therefrom;

said drum having a horizontally extending shaft to provide for rotation of said drum in a vertical plane, said drum including a plurality of cavity means equally spaced around the periphery of said drum, each side cavity means adapted to receive a respective cigarette therein delivered from said supply means;

fixed internal and external circular means located along said drum periphery to define sliding support and guide means for the cigarettes in said cavity means as the cigarettes move along said drum pep y;

said circular guide means being in contact with the cigarettes from a first location on said drurn periphery where cigarettes are delivered to said drum to a second location on said drum periphery, said drum periphery providing a path of movement for the cigarettes from said first location to said second location extending around the upper portion of said drum periphery;

fixed elongated ramp means having one end thereof located at said second location in said path of movement to be contacted by an end of each moving cigarette, said ramp means extending inwardly into said drum in an arcuate shape;

additional external circular guide means extending along said drum periphery from said second location to support the other end of each moving cigarette when the cigarette is in contact with said ramp means;

said one end of said ramp means located on one side of said additional external guide means, and said ramp means extending smoothly adjacent the lower portion of said drum periphery from its one end to its other end, said other end of said ramp means being positioned at a third location on the other side of said additional external guide means whereby the one end of each cigarette as it moves in contact with said ramp means is lifted from said cavity means and rotated inwardly toward said shaft and then rotated further so that the one end of each cigarette has been rotated 180 at said third from said first location. 

1. Device for turning over cigarettes when they are parallely spaced and proceeding in a continuous row comprising rotary supply means for the cigarettes; a rotating circular drum in close association with said rotary supply means to receive the cigarettes therefrom; said drum having a horizontally extending shaft to provide for rotation of said drum in a vertical plane, said drum including a plurality of cavity means equally spaced around the periphery of said drum, each side cavity means adapted to receive a respective cigarette therein delivered from said supply means; fixed internal and external circular means located along said drum periphery to define sliding support and guide means for the cigarettes in said cavity means as the cigarettes move along said drum periphery; said circular guide means being in contact with the cigarettes from a first location on said drum periphery where cigarettes are delivered to said drum to a second location on said drum periphery, said drum periphery providing a path of movement for the cigarettes from said first location to said second location extending around the upper portion of said drum periphery; fixed elongated ramp means having one end thereof located at said second location in said path of movement to be contacted by an end of each moving cigarette, said ramp means extending inwardly into said drum in an arcuate shape; additional external circular guide means extending along said drum periphery from said second location to support the other end of each moving cigarette when the cigarette is in contact with said ramp means; said one end of said ramp means located on one side of said additional external guide means, and said ramp means extending smoothly adjacent the lower portion of said drum periphery from its one end to its other end, said other end of said ramp means being positioned at a third location on the other side of said additional external guide means whereby the one end of each cigarette as it moves in contact with said ramp means is lifted from said cavity means and rotated inwardly toward said shaft and then rotated further so that the one end of each cigarette has been rotated 180* at said third location and repositioned in said cavity means; and conveyor means to receive the turned cigarettes from said cavity means.
 1. Device for turning over cigarettes when they are parallely spaced and proceeding in a continuous row comprising rotary supply means for the cigarettes; a rotating circular drum in close association with said rotary supply means to receive the cigarettes therefrom; said drum having a horizontally extending shaft to provide for rotation of said drum in a vertical plane, said drum including a plurality of cavity means equally spaced around the periphery of said drum, each side cavity means adapted to receive a respective cigarette therein delivered from said supply means; fixed internal and external circular means located along said drum periphery to define sliding support and guide means for the cigarettes in said cavity means as the cigarettes move along said drum periphery; said circular guide means being in contact with the cigarettes from a first location on said drum periphery where cigarettes are delivered to said drum to a second location on said drum periphery, said drum periphery providing a path of movement for the cigarettes from said first location to said second location extending around the upper portion of said drum periphery; fixed elongated ramp means having one end thereof located at said second location in said path of movement to be contacted by an end of each moving cigarette, said ramp means extending inwardly into said drum in an arcuate shape; additional external circular guide means extending along said drum periphery from said second location to support the other end of each moving cigarette when the cigarette is in contact with said ramp means; said one end of said ramp means located on one side of said additional external guide means, and said ramp means extending smoothly adjacent the lower portion of said drum periphery from its one end to its other end, said other end of said ramp means being positioned at a third location on the other side of said additional external guide means whereby the one end of each cigarette as it moves in contact with said ramp means is lifted from said cavity means and rotated inwardly toward said shaft and then rotated further so that the one end of each cigarette has been rotated 180* at said third location and repositioned in said cavity means; and conveyor means to receive the turned cigarettes from said cavity means.
 2. Device according to claim 1 wherein said cavity means comprise individual equally spaced channels, each said channel having a width slightly greater than the width of a cigarette and each said channel having a length substantially greater than the length of a cigarette. 